USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 85173 — Superior, Arizona
Averages from Superior, Az US, the nearest reporting station, 1.4 miles away.
Plant tender crops after January 18, and expect the first autumn freeze around December 28. That leaves about 342 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- January 18
- First fall frost
- December 28
- Growing season
- 342 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
25 to 30°F annual low
Planting calendar for 85173
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| November 9 – November 23 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| November 23 – December 7 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| December 21 – January 4 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| January 18 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by October 5 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by December 14 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 28 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after January 18 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Superior, Arizona are past their last freeze. Harvest before December 28, which leaves roughly 342 frost-free days.
ZIP 85173 sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 25 to 30°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.